Money a non-factor in move to Sharks, says Johnson
Shaun Johnson says if he was motivated by money he would have seen out his contract at the Warriors as he looks to achieve his premiership dream with the Sharks.
Johnson addressed the media in Sydney yesterday for the first time since his messy break-up with the Auckland-based NRL club.
The Kiwis playmaker asked for and was subsequently granted a release from the final year of his contract after the Warriors advised him to test his value on the open market.
Johnson, who was understood to be on a million-dollar salary at the Warriors, signed a three-year deal with Cronulla last week but insists he does not hold a grudge against his former team.
‘‘They’re a club that want to do well,’’ Johnson said of the Warriors. ‘‘They’re a club that’s looking to win a premiership and if they don’t see me as worthy of what they were paying me that’s fine.
‘‘People will say you’re only worth X amount but at the end of the day it’s irrelevant. We were all playing footy long before we got paid for it.
‘‘If it was all about the money I would have stayed there. I would have stayed and played my contract out. I’m here to win a premiership.
‘‘I know I can add value. I believe in myself, it doesn’t matter what they’re paying me.’’
On his day Johnson is one of the most exciting players in the NRL. However, he has struggled for consistency since bursting on to the scene in 2011 and there was a school of thought held by many that he did not have the game to lead the Warriors to a maiden premiership.
The 28-year-old believes he has nothing to prove after being unwanted by the Warriors but is determined to help the 2016 premiers to another title.
‘‘I think that would be the most important thing to any player playing this game. That’s why you do it,’’ he said.
‘‘There are 15 teams out there with the exact same goal. That’s all of our mindset and that’s why I believe this is the greatest comp in the world.’’
The Sharks open their 2019 campaign against the Knights in Newcastle on March 15.